A Stamp and a Chop

A Chinese Tour Leader was allegedly man-handled by immigration officials at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Saturday, June 19, 2010, while transiting the Indonesian capital on a flight from Shanghai to Bali.

The injured man was leading a group of 22 Chinese tourists who arrived in Jakarta on Garuda 895 when, according to reports in the Bali Post and Bisnis Bali, he was asked for an illegal "tip" by an immigration officer. When he refused the payment he was then asked to attend a separated office to submit to a fingerprinting and photography session. Inside the room, an angry immigration officer reportedly struck the tour leader, raising bruises on his face and body.

The bruised Chinese tour agent later boarded the flight to Bali where he reported the altercation to local tour operators and the press.

The chairman of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA), Al Purwa, has expressed his disappointment over the reported attack on the tour guide, calling for the dismissal of the immigration officer responsible.

Purwa invited the Chinese tour agent to formally report the matter to ASITA so he can in turn place a complaint before the Director General of Immigration.